Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday reviewed preparations for the expanded Vetri Payanam free bus travel scheme for women, ahead of its statewide launch on October 2.
According to an official release, the expanded scheme is expected to benefit around 84.32 lakh women every day.
Under the scheme, women will be able to travel free of cost on 12,692 designated government buses. The coverage will extend beyond the existing concessions available on ordinary city and town buses.
The expanded scheme will include Express, Limited Stop Service and Deluxe buses operating within corporation and municipal limits. It will also cover Mofussil Ordinary and Ghat Ordinary buses operating beyond 40 kilometres.
The designated buses account for about 69 per cent of the total fleet operated by Tamil Nadu's seven State Transport Corporations. Together, they are expected to operate around 1,65,312 single trips each day, accounting for approximately 85 per cent of the state's total bus operations.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that integration of Electronic Ticketing Machines across the designated buses has been completed. System testing and verification have been scheduled to be completed by September 25, followed by a trial run on September 27.
The scheme was announced in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on August 24. According to the government, the initiative is intended to help women and girl students access employment, education and essential services without transport costs becoming a barrier.
The expanded coverage is also expected to improve access to workplaces, colleges and medical facilities, particularly for women travelling longer distances.
State Transport Minister A Vijay Thamizhan Parthiban, Chief Secretary M Saikumar, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) M Asithick, Transport Secretary Ila Nithirmalraj and other senior officials attended the review meeting at the Secretariat.
.jpg)
